ipourlife

School Curriculum

julieghiggins — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 03:03:46 +0000

When you think about school curriculum, you think about textbooks, paperwork and homework. While creating the ipourlife curriculum our thoughts were focused on how to connect schools and students across the globe with each other and let them “teach with their life.”

Thus began our journey in creating the ipourlife curriculum to teach students in the USA about the lifestyle of students in global communities. Students learn about the five most critical needs in global communities: water, food, shelter, health and education. They learn how these needs affect the community, children and their families. The students then see how these five topics affect their local community, in the United States, and finally discover a way to giveback to a person or group using the topics as tools in giving.

In the end, students will discover something about themselves. It will be an incredible journey for us, the students, teachers and global communities.

We’ve launched! We’re off on our journey with the ipourlife curriculum, teach with your life.

Chain Reaction

grace higgins — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:00:39 +0000

In 2010, a team of 8 teens and 7 adults from an American church built the first 6 houses in the Los Angeles refugee camp of El Salvador in 7 days. Now, 2 years later, over 60 homes are housing over 200 families in the same refugee camp. Teams from all over the world have put their efforts into building houses for this community- and it all started with those first 6 homes. Because those 15 people had faith that they could change the refugee lifestyle, the future of the entire community is changed forever. And to think that it all started with an idea of giving back~ which started ipourlife…

2011 Newsletter

julieghiggins — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:29:20 +0000

Refugee Bracelets and more….read about it in the newsletter.

annual ipourlife 2011 newsletter

Maria goes to work

julieghiggins — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:34:55 +0000

Everyone loves success, but unfortunately, we aren’t always successful. We’ve known Maria Guadalupe for 5+ years and have been involved as much as possible in her life. This year, her mom and step-father took her out of school and gave her the job at 11 years old, to watch her 3 younger siblings (including a small baby) from 5 am to 5 pm. She couldn’t come to the Center of Hope anymore because she couldn’t bring the baby. Her education, her childhood, and her future are all being stolen from her. She is beautiful, full of potential, and has a compassionate heart for others. I still believe Maria can be rescued, please pray with us that God gives us that open door.

Maria G – School

julieghiggins — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:37:17 +0000

Saturday was the grand opening of the Center of Hope at LA1 Refugee Camp. I looked everywhere for Maria Guadalupe. No one seem to knew her whereabouts and I was surprised she wasn’t there for all the festivities. One of Maria’s friends ran over to give me a hug and I asked, “Where’s Maria Guadalupe?” ”She’s home,” her friend replied. ”Will you run get her,” I asked? Off she went running to find Maria. Within a few minutes Maria was wrapping her arms around me. After a bit we sat down to talked. She didn’t seem completely herself, I could tell by her body language and the way she held her head. I wished I knew Spanish so I could communicate with her. I admit, total laziness on my part for not learning the language. I can communicate just enough to say hello, goodbye, your beautiful and I love you. Kind gestures but not enough to ask a little girl, “What’s up!” Within minutes on of the other kids that knew English said, “Maria quit school.” I looked at Maria and she turned her head. She knew it was a good thing to quit school. She didn’t have a real good excuse, except that she’s bored. She doesn’t like sitting in the classroom half a day and doing the homework. Her Mom isn’t making her go to school so she gets to run throughout the refugee camp all day, plus she helps take care of her little sister, Juliana. Maria didn’t respond when I asked her to promise me she’d go back to school. Then to her luck, a game started and she ran off to play with the other kids.

I’m going back tomorrow to visit with Maria and her family. I know already Kenton Moody has been to school four times asking the director to take her back in the school. Each time they’ve accepted her back and again soon she gets bored and quits. She’s 10, can’t read or write. What will it take to keep Maria in school?

Josselin – leader

julieghiggins — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:57:36 +0000

Josselin is pictured here with missionary, Kenton Moody. He is like a Dad to Josselin and she delights in showing her school work to him. She still is number 1 in her class. She still lives with her Aunt and is grateful for her taking her in to live with them.

Josselin is an incredible leader throughout the refugee camp. She mentors younger girls, encourages them to stay in school and helps around the new Center of Hope located in the refugee camp. She’s excited about the before and after school programs at the Center of Hope, we hope her Aunt allows her to attend.

Rosa’s Pregnant

julieghiggins — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:45:53 +0000

I could hardly wait to see Rosa. Weepingly she told me in this past spring she thought she was pregnant. She had met a man while selling merchandise on the streets. He seemed very nice and invited her to come live with him and his Mother. Once she got to his house, the mother forbid her to live inside the house, instead she was to live out back in the shed. Rosa and her son Nestor Victor took their belongings out to the shed.

When I came to visit Santa Ana during the Spring, Rosa met me at church. She was very happy to see me and my family, but I could see in her eyes, she was very , very sad. After church my friend, Dr. Juliet who speaks spanish, and I spoke with Rosa privately. Rosa wept for the longest time and then told us she thought she was pregnant and the man turned out not to be very nice. She wanted to believe he would be nice but began telling us all that had happened. It saddened me to hear the stories, but even more it saddened me Rosa and Nestor Victor were experiencing this. Dr. Juliet, a psy.d, gave Rosa great advice. We prayed with Rosa and had to say goodbye. I promised her I would come back to check on her again and now she’s 8 months pregnant.

She isn’t living out in the shed but rather back in the home we built her. The Father of the baby comes to visit her and has provided things for Rosa

and her family. Rosa is due September 8th with a girl. I know her hope for this little girl is to grow up outside the refugee camp.

Serving in a Developing Country

julieghiggins — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:52:22 +0000

Throughout the year we will take teams to serve the refugees and those who are poor and needy in Santa Ana, El Salvador. If you would like to join us, please fill out the get involved form and comment on how you would like to participate. If you know and speak Spanish, please note this on your form. The following are a few skills or qualities we are planning for our 2012 teams:

Medical

Gardening/Agriculture

Education/Tutoring

Seamstress/sewing

Psychologist/Counseling

Church teams

For more information please feel free to email: julie@ipourlifefoundation.org

Rosa’s teeth

julieghiggins — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 04:40:26 +0000

Because of Rosa’s malnutrition and having to brush her teeth with her finger, her teeth were rotting. I noticed she would always cover her mouth when she smiled. She was ashamed of her teeth. Elsie found a local dentist who checked Rosa’s teeth. She had 15 cavities and 3 teeth that needed extractions. Funds were raised to fix Rosa’s teeth and now she smiles without hesitation. We take for granted the simple things in life – a toothbrush, toothpaste, the ability to brush our teeth with clean water. Rosa now has more confidence as she says, “I have new teeth.”

Rosa’s House

julieghiggins — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:15:06 +0000

It had been a year since I’d seen Rosa. I’d kept up with her by mail and through our friends Kenton and Elsie Moody. She was still living in a 4 x 10 shack with 7 other family members. We were partnering with a church to go build 5 homes and Rosa would one of the recipients.

Our team was planning to leave and I could hardly contain myself. Not only would I see her again but my family would get to meet her and the rest of the refugees. At LA1 there are approximately 200 families living there. Children run barefooted in the dirt streets in their same clothes they’ve worn for a week or more. Parents either work the streets as a vendor selling toilet paper, copper wire they’ve dug out of the trash can or beg for food.

We arrive and quickly the word spreads at the refugee camp, “The Americans are here. The Americans are here.” Elsie takes me to see Rosa and we both are overcome with emotion. Holding her as she holds Nestor she weepingly says, “You came back.”